Cranking device for explosive-engines.



A.-T. DUNCAN.

CRANKING DEVICE FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES- APPLICATION FILED FEH.2I. 1918.

1,292,274. Patented Jan. 21,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A a n If m E c AL O a :l A

A. T. DUNCAN.

CRANKING DEVICE FOR E'XPLOSIVE ENGINES.

' APPLICATION HLED FEB. 2!. 1918.

1,292,274. Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

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ARTHUR T. DUNCAN, OF CLINTON, MISSOURI.

CRANKING DEVICE FOR EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 21, 1919.

Application filed February 27, 1918. Serial No. 219,497.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, ARTHUR T. Duncan, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clinton, in the county of Henry and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Cranking Device for Explosive-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cranking devices for explosive engines, one of its objects being to provide a device of this character which can be applied. readily to an automobile or other structure on which the engine is mounted and which will act positively to prevent injury to the user should the engine back fire during the starting operation.

A further object is to provide a simple and compact structure which will not readily get out of order and which will automatically lock the parts when they are shifted out of their normal relative positions as the result of back firing.

Another object is to provide means for automatically coupling together the parts when unlocked thus to reset the device.

With the foregoingand other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel detailspf construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that various changes within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the pre ferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device constltuting the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section therethroug on line 2-2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the casing of the device and showing the latch used in connection therewith. Fig. 5 is a section on line 55, Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of a slightly modified form of device.

Fig. 7 is a section on line 77. Fig. 6. Referring to the figures by characters of reference, A designates a clutch such as ordinarily used on the shaft of an engine for starting purposes and B designates a portion of the engine supporting structure which, in the present instance, can be the front end of the chassis of an automobile. The present invention includes a clutch shaft 1 mounted to slide and rotate within an opening C in the structure B and this shaft has a pin 2 adapted, when the shaft is shifted longitudinally, to engage the clutch A. A collar 3 is secured to the shaft 1 in any manner desired, as by means of a pin 4, and formed in the periphery of the collar at intervals are notches 5.

A cylindrical housing 6 is mounted on the shaft 1 and mounted for rotation on the shaft and within the housing is a disk 7 which is interposed between the collar 3 and the back end of the housing which, aS shown, is closed. A ring 8 is secured to the shaft 1 by means of a pin 9 or the like and serves to hold the closed end of the housing snugly against the disk 7.

A finger 10 extends from the closed end of the housing and is adapted, when the shaft 1 is moved longitudinally in one direction, to enter an opening formed within the structure B, as shown at 11. Thus the housing is held against rotation. Formed upon the inner surface of the wall of the housing 6 is an annular series of ratchet teeth 12 and fitted within the open end of the housing is a disk 13 from the center of which extends a sleeve 14 housing the end portion of the shaft 1. Another shaft 15 extends into and is secured within the sleeve, this shaft 15 having a crank 16 secured thereto, as shown in Fig 1.

Annular shoulders 17 and 18 are formed on the inner faces of the disks 7 and 13 and lugs 19 are formed on the disk 13 at desired intervals with their outer faces flush with the shoulder 18 and with their ends in contact with the disk 7. Screws 20, or other fastening means, are extended through the disk 7 and into the lugs 19 and thus securely connect the two disks 7 and 13.

Arranged between the disks 7 and 13 and bearing on the shoulders 17 and 18 is a ring 21 having openings 22 in its periphery preferably arranged in pairs. Pawls 23 and 24 are arranged in pairs in the ring and journaled in said ring so as to move therewith.- These pawls extend through the respective openings 22, one pawl of each pair being provided witha finger 25. A spring 26 is interposed between the finger of each pawl 24 and the adjoining pawl 23 and thus serves to hold both pawls normally projected through the opnings 22 and into engagement with the ratchet teeth on thehousing 6.

A dog 27 is arranged between the ring 21 and the collar 3, this dog having trunnions 28which bear within the disks 7 and'13.' A lug 29 extends from onefendl ofi the dog-n27 and is normally seated in one of the notches 5, and a finger "30 extends from theother or pivot end of the? dog and projects lo'o'selyi into an open ing 31 formedf'withinthering21t An ear- 32 isextended inwardlyifrom the ring" 21 and a-sprin'g 33 is interp'osed be tween this ear and'one of thelugs 19 ',"thus" normally'to press the-ring 21"against the finger 30 on the dog 27and projecfitlredug 29into one ofthe-notchesfii A slot 3418' formed'in the' disk-13 -near its periphery and slidably mounted therein is a spring controlled latch 35, as shownin: Figs; 1 and 5. A notch 36'is' formed'in the edge of ring 21 andisso'loca'ted'that when the disks are rotated a short'distance in acounter-clockwise direction within the housing" 6 and relative to the ring'21, the latch will spring into the-notch and-lock the disks against return movement, thus holding tlre sprin'g'33 under compression? Assuming that the latch ems disengaged and that all'of the other parts are intheir normal' positions,- the deviceis' used as fol lows: The shaft 1 is p'ushed lon'gitudinally to couple with the clutch "1h and to bring the finger 10 into'the op'eningllr Thecrank '16" is thengiven a rotation' in a clockwise-di re'ction and, as the housing 6'isheld fixed, the-pawls 23' and 24 will sli'p'iover the teeth 12 andthe dog 27 Will pull, through'thelug 29, 'upon' the collar 3 and shaft*'-1,'thusto" rotate-the clutch A. However, should' the engine kick -or'ba'ck fire; the ring 21 would be held against counter-clockwise move ment by the pawls 23'and24' engaging theratchet teeth 12 and'th'e collar3, which' ro tat'eswith the shaft 1" will pull" through the dog27 upon the*- disks 7"and 13,-mo'ving them-against theaction of the spring 33* a short distance. This will cause t'he finger 30" to swing within the opening 31 and lift the dog lug 29 outo f engagement withthecollar 3; Simultaneously with" this action the latch '35 springs intothe not'ch'36f. Thus the ring'21 and" cranklti are locked against counter-clockwise movement, the 'sp'rin'g- 33 being held under compression andthe dog 27 secured in lifted position; Consequently the shaft 1 can rotate-backwardly 'with'no danger of injury'to' the user of the crank; By pulling the latch 35 out of thenotch: 36 thespring 33 will berelease'd; the disks and ring will readjust themselves automatically so that the dog 27 will reengage the collar 3.

If preferred, and as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the crank arm 37 may be attached directly to the sleeve 38 on the front disk 39 and the shaft 40,corresponding with the shaft 1, can be extended entirely through the sleeve 38 and provided with arknobt llr The shaft is angular in cross section andby pushing inwardly onathe knob 41 the shaft can be caused to couple to the clutch A shown in Fig. 1. The' frontdi'sk39 cambe assembled with l the housing 42" by 1 a ring-43 screwed into thehousing and i said housing can be held fixed by ears et lextending there=- from and fastened" to the supportingistrum ture by bolts or'the-'likei'- In all other-re spects this modified form of th'e device -is the same as that-shown in F igs." 1 to 5 What isclaimed-isz- V 1; A device of the character" described 111+ eluding "a non-rotatable housing 'h'av-inig an annular series of ratchet teeththe'rein; a

ring mounted for rotation in the housing,

pawls carried by the ring"and normallyen gaging the teeth, a shaft having-a notchedportion revoluble therewith and su-rrounded bv the ring, a dish, a crank for rotating the disk, a dog revoluble with the disk" and: normally engaging the notchedfiportion of the shaft, a projection upon the dog-and engaging the ring, a spring bearing "against the ringand-disk'to hold the dislr 'and-dog in their. normalpositions, and meansfor automaticallylocking the dog and" dish? out of their normal positions whenshift'ed in one direction.

2. A device'of-thecharacter described includinga non-rotatable housinghaving'*a= ratchet, a ring mounted-for rotationin one direction in thehousin rpawlsycarriedtbyv the ring and engaging thatratchet,\3021mmv the ring against counterclock'wise-- move ment, a shaft having a: notbhed portion, a disk, means for rotating the disk, a dogmov able with the disk andnorma-lly engaging the ring and notched portion; a. spring thrusting against the dislr andringforholding the dogin its normalposition, said disk being shiftableby the dog during thecoun terclockwise movement of the shaft andirelative to the ring to disengagethe dog from" the shaft and place the"springunderpompression', and means for automatically looking the dog in said shifted position:

3. The combination with a housing held against rotation, a disk, means for rotating the. disk, and a shaft having a-nOtcIied IpOrtion, of a ring, coiiperating'meansupon'the ring and housing for holding the ring against counterclockwise movement; a."- dog carried'by the disk and engaging the-notched portion, a lifting" finger upon the dog and to be placed under compression during the as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signacounterclockwise movement of the disk and ture in the presence of two witnesses. dog relative to the ring, and a latch carried by the disk for engaging the ring to lock the ARTHUR DUNCAN 5 yielding means under compression with the Witnesses:

dog disengaged from the notched portion. IVY E. SIMPSON,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing PHIIDMENA A. RooKEnnI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0! Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

